Wednesday, June 27, 2012

I have to say goodbye to Siquijor. It was such a short love affair. So I spent my last morning with her again waiting for the sunrise.

my last glimpse of Isla del Fuego sunrise

i'll miss this watercolor landscape

So much for being emo, haha! :) I had to get going and make it to the 7:00 am ferry going to Dumaguete.

so it's goodbye, Siquijor

But OMG, that manong driver who promised to pick me up at 6:00 am was still not showing up at 6:30! So I just waited for a passenger trike to pass by (which is so rare in La-lao). Ate Lorna helped me when she noticed my uneasiness. She asked her neighbor with habal-habal if they can take me to the port. After a few minutes, a trike finally came. She convinced me to take the public transpo instead so it'll be cheaper. I love Ate Lorna for her concern to her guests. Along with 5 students (it was a Monday), I commuted to Siquijor port.

I was so worried once again that I might miss the ferry. Riding in a passenger vehicle meant more stops. I was so relieved that when I arrived they're still selling tickets for 7 am when on my clock it is already 7! So I ran as fast as I could along with the other last passengers. I have a heavy backpack which made running a little difficult. Good grief! A minute after I boarded, the ferry immediately sailed away.

sailing back to Dumaguete

When I arrived in Dumaguete port, I looked for a passenger trike. So, I was just charged the regular fare of 9.00 pesos going to my guest house.

I was dropped off in front of Harold's Mansion (I forgot to take a photo of it outside). I arrived past 8:00 am. There are no single rooms available so I opt for the dorm. Not bad for just an overnight stay. It's only 250 pesos per night.

my space

When I entered the room, most of them were still asleep. I was happy to find one Filipina backpacker there, Claire of iamtravelinglight.com. She said I was the first solo female Pinay traveler she encountered in the dorm (or in her entire backpacking trip) because most of them were foreigners. She was on her 5th week of backpacking the Visayas that time already. (Claire, please correct me when you read this hehe!) Wow! I wish I can do the same. After our tete-a-tete and having my bed made, I went out to explore.

my first stop :)

I first went to the tourism office to ask for a map, so I would know how to get around the city. Dumaguete is just a small city. I figured, I can just go around by foot from my guest house.

Rizal Park este Quezon Park ;)

That is Quezon Park. I actually wondered why, because it more seemed like it was a park dedicated to Jose Rizal. Pakialamera lang ang peg. Haha!

see what I'm talking about? :)

one fine day at the park

Just across the street is the Dumaguete Church and Belfry. I was at the right place at the right time. The 9:00 am mass has just started, so I went inside to hear it. I considered it a blessing while on the road.

Dumaguete Church

the Belfry

I went back to the park and hang out with some locals there to get a feel of their daily lives. People watching is one of my favorite things to do when in I travel.

with shy locals eating lunch at the park

I explored Siliman University next. It's pretty much like UP, which is an open university. I entered the SU campus and took photos of its colonial structures.

Siliman University Church

Like UP, the buildings are also called halls. The university campus is so huge. I only explored two parts of it.

Oriental Hall

Occidental Hall

Just like Negros, it has Oriental and Occidental hehe. :)

i love the architecture of this

too bad the museum is closed :(

the founder of Siliman University

Wandering around, made me hungry. I consulted my map and located where Sans Rival is. That's where I had my late lunch. I opted for a rice meal even if all locals seemed to be ordering pasta. I always wanted rice for lunch.

pinoy bistek

salad nicoise

The food was delish! No wonder the place is always packed. I loved the salad. Their vinaigrette just killed it for me. Yum! Then I reserved some silvanas and other pastries for pasalubong hehe. :)

After my hearty meal, I chilled out and walked in Rizal Boulevard promenade. I noticed that most people were flocking there in the afternoon. I was never really alone.

contemplating by the bay

that parachute-like cloud :)

I had fun people and cloud-formation watching hehe. :) But seriously, you made many realizations when you travel alone.

Dumaguete Port from a far

So there, that's how I spent my day in Dumaguete. I loved the city. It is clean, peaceful and it is really true - they have gentle people. I never felt afraid of anything or anyone. For me, this is the safest city in the Visayas area that I've been to. It was just a short stay I know. For sure, I'll be back to explore more of it in the future.